Tell us why Juma was brutally killed, Raila asks Uhuru

Cord leader Raila Odinga on Friday said President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto should speak out on the murder of businessman Jacob Juma.

Addressing mourners during a public viewing of Mr Juma’s body in Kakamega, Mr Odinga said: “Kenyans are waiting for answers from the President and his deputy on why Mr Juma was brutally murdered. The two are ashamed to speak about the killing.”

But Mr Ruto accused the Opposition of using the murder to shore up its declining fortunes.

“It is of no use for leaders who have lost popularity to exploit the killing of Jacob Juma to gain political mileage. I want to ask Cord and other opposition leaders to record statements with the police on what they know about the murder instead of implicating other leaders whom they do not agree with,” Mr Ruto said in Aldai, Nandi County.

Speaking at the Approved School grounds in Kakamega, Mr Odinga repeated his claim that the businessman was killed because of the information he had on the Eurobond saga and for exposing the National Youth Service scandal.

“Those who shed the blood of Mr Juma would not go unpunished,” he said.

“If they think they have silenced Mr Juma for good, they should know there are several other Jumas out there willing to give information on the corruption going on in government,” Mr Odinga said.

Mr Juma’s widow Miriam said the family felt let down by the government since no effort had been made to have his killers arrested. 

“I do not know how to put what I want to say but my husband was killed because of the fearless stand he took in the fight against corruption in government,” she said in Kakamega.

Earlier in Nairobi, she announced that the family will engage private investigators to help unravel the mystery of his murder.

Mrs Juma asked Internal Security minister Joseph ole Nkaissery to provide “CCTV footage of his car, tracked to Ngong Road on Thursday May 5, the night he was murdered.”

DEATH PROBE
Speaking to journalists at her Karen home, Mrs Juma also asked that the family be provided with telephone data detailing his movement on the night of May 5 and the morning of May 6.

“We ask only these two things for now, we shall be requesting more information in due course and look forward to your cooperation,” she said.

She added that the family also supports calls for the engagement of foreign help like the American FBI and Britain’s Scotland Yard to help in investigations.

Mr Juma was found dead in his car on May 5 after being shot by unknown gunmen.

Postmortem examination results have since revealed that he died from two bullets fired at close range to his chest.

Mr Odinga poured scorn on official statements that police were investigating the killing.

Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale asked Mr Odinga and his Cord co-principals Kalonzo Musyoka and Moses Wetang’ula to remain united and forge a formidable strategy to dislodge Jubilee from power in 2017 General Election. 

He said the killing of the businessman had emboldened the opposition and those crusading against corruption in government.

Mrs Juma said that the family also wants to know the company or individual who towed Mr Juma’s car to Karen police station and at what time it was towed there.

On Friday, workers of the towing firm, which works out of Karen shopping centre, said they recorded statements with the police after the widow raised the questions.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, one of them denied reports that Mr Juma’s body was in the car as it was towed to the station. He said it was in a police vehicle.

The workers, who included a driver and two handlers, said that they spent hours with the detectives.

Police reports indicated that an Administration Police officer, who heard gunshots, rushed to the scene and found Mr Juma had been fatally shot.

An Occurrence Book report at Karen Police station only identifies the AP officer as Koome. His mobile telephone number recorded in the OB is missing one digit.

“The family also wants to know at what time was Jacob’s body taken to the City Mortuary,” Mrs Juma said.

FUNERAL
She said that her husband had all his personal identification documents on him yet his family was not notified about his death.

‘‘His residence was well known to the local Karen police station,” the widow said.

She said she only learnt of her husband’s death from other parents when she took her children to school.

“I tried to reach him several times that night on his phone which went unanswered,” the widow said.

On Thursday, Opposition leaders accused the State of being behind the killing and named top officials they said should be questioned.

From Kakamega, Mr Juma’s body was flown to Posta Grounds in Bungoma for public viewing but angry youth, who wanted the viewing at Kanduyi stadium, nearly disrupted the event.

The body was later flown to Mr Juma’s rural home in Mungore village in Bumula constituency.

Mr Juma will be buried today.

In the village, tents that had been erected earlier at the home of the businessman were moved to the nearby Mungore Primary School to accommodate more mourners.

Some 45 bulls have been slaughtered to feed the mourners.

Mr Juma’s mother Irene Adhiambo Juma, 95, expressed deep sorrow over the killing of her son.

She described him as a pillar to the family who took proper care of her.

Bungoma County Commissioner Mohammed Maalim said: “We are calling for calm during the funeral service and people should not bring their political affiliations that would lead to confrontations.”

Reports by Vincent Agoya, Benson Amadala, Kennedy Okwach, Tom Matoke, Barnabas Bii, Gerald Bwisa, Nyambega Gisesa and Raphael Wanjala